1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pourer for simultaneously pouring liquid from a container and mixing air into the liquid. In particular, the pourer may be used for simultaneously pouring wine from a bottle and decanting the wine.
2. Description of Related Art
Typically, wine is decanted by pouring wine from a bottle into a decanter, Typically, the decanter is placed on a table, and the wine is poured from a distance of approximately 10-20 cm above the top of the decanter, so as to aerate and oxidize the wine on its trajectory from the outlet of the bottle neck to the inlet of the decanter. Or, wine is poured directly into wine glasses, from which it is quaffed by the consumer.
It is considered desirable for wine, red wine in particular, to “breathe” one hour or so before being consumed. It is known that some tannin compounds become oxidized by exposure to air and lose their bitter or stringent tastes, creating a more mellow wine and enabling the perception of flavors that otherwise would be masked. The use of a decanter facilitates that process, but it still requires some latent time before the wine should be consumed.
In order to facilitate pouring of wine out of the bottle and to prevent droplets of wine from being spilled when stopping or interrupting pouring, various wine pourers have been suggested in the prior art. And there is known in the prior art at least one wine pouring spout that attempts to aerate the wine as it is discharged from the bottle through the spout. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,660 describes a pouring spout that has one end adapted to fit into the opening of a wine bottle and a flow path extending directly therethrough. The flow path is provided with a Venturi constriction at a medial portion thereof, and an air intake port delivers ambient air to the low pressure zone of the Venturi constriction.
Although this prior art device appears effective in the patent description, the real-world device suffers from a fundamental drawback: it fails to draw sufficient ambient air to actually introduce air bubbles into the fluid stream and achieve aeration. In this sense it is a complete failure. Thus there is a need in the prior art for a wine pouring spout that aerates the wine thoroughly and effectively as it is poured through the spout.